Blue Track and Field Win Five Events at Mary Grinaker Invitational

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Wellesley College track and field opened their season at the Mary Grinaker Invitational hosted by Smith on Saturday.

The Blue took won five events in the non scoring meet, with 10 total top-three finishes in an impressive season debut.

Junior Caitlin Gordon (North Vancouver, British Columbia) open the day for Wellesley with a fifth place finish in the weight throw with a distance of 9.05 meters. First year Sara Maeve Klingensmith (Chapel Hill, N.C.) then captured the win in the long jump with a distance of 5.09 meters while sophomore Ria Goveas (Bangalore, India) took second place. 

First year Kenya Francis (Southwest Atlanta, Ga.) was the runner-up in the shot put in her inaugural college meet with a distance of 9.17 meters to round out the field events for Wellesley.

Klingensmith finished fifth in the 60 meter dash prelims to qualify for the finals. In the finals the first year ran an 8.48 to finish sixth. 

First year Ella Whinney (Madison, Wis.) captured first place in the one mile race running a 5:22.38, 14 seconds ahead of the next finisher. The Blue then captured the top three spots in the 800 meter run. First year Aleah Ghiasuddin (Newburyport, Mass.) won the race with a time of 2:28.35 followed by sophomore Aoife Fitzgerald (Paxton, Mass.) and first year Charlie Barron (Chattanooga, Tenn.) with respective times of 2:33.61 and 2:33.96.

Sophomore Jesenia Lopez (Fontana, Calif.) continued the Blue's winning ways with a first place finish in the 1000 meter event with a time of 3:35.55. Junior Taylor Quaye took fifth in the 200 meter sprint, running a 28.98. 

Seniors Ellie Murphy-Weise (San Francisco, Calif.) and Claire Anderson (Denver, Colo.) concluded the day with first and second place finishes in the three kilometer race with times of 10:27.35 and 10:31.65.

The Blue return after the new year at the Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational at Brandeis on January 14.